WELCOME TO FIERCE LIFE SCIENCES WEEKLY DIGEST More news is good news—especially when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, according to a new poll showing gains in consumers’ perceptions of the biopharma industry. Pfizer, Gilead and Moderna specifically saw boons following their clinical progress, while the last of which recently posted a $1.5 billion order from the U.S. government for 100 million future doses. Meanwhile, Russia announced its entrant in the vaccine race, “Sputnik V,” has been approved—but without late-stage trials, and with many describing the shot as backed only by phase 1 data. Those stories and more follow below. | |
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Featured Story | By Beth Snyder Bulik When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, more news is good news. That’s the latest takeaway from consumer sentiment tracking by The Harris Poll. Pharma companies currently in the news reaped hefty reputation boosts, according to early August data. read more |
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Top Stories Of The Week By Ben Adams AbbVie and Roche alum Janet Hammond, M.D., Ph.D., Sc.M., F.C.P. has nabbed the chief development officer role at infectious disease biotech Atea Pharmaceuticals. read more By Eric Sagonowsky As global players rush to deliver COVID-19 vaccines, Russia shocked the world Tuesday with news that it had approved a locally developed inoculation, provocatively named "Sputnik V." But that approval was based on skimpy data, and experts characterized the move as a risky political stunt. read more By Eric Sagonowsky A third spinal muscular atrophy treatment option is set to debut with the FDA’s approval for Roche’s Evrysdi, formerly known as risdiplam. The medicine offers at-home dosing for patients, potentially giving it an edge versus the competition during the COVID-19 pandemic. read more By Ben Adams Roche’s batch of phase 3 tests of its experimental GI drug etrolizumab has not gone to plan, with “mixed results” highlighting a murky picture for its ulcerative colitis program. read more By Conor Hale Guardant Health received a milestone approval from the FDA for its cancer test, as the first liquid biopsy able to genetically profile solid tumors anywhere in the body through a single blood draw. read more By Kyle Blankenship Eastman Kodak's unlikely deal with the federal government to dive into drug manufacturing has raised eyebrows, not only for the size of the loan itself but Kodak's lack of experience—and some executive stock option grants that preceded the announcement. Now, with investigations mounting, the U.S. is pumping the brakes. read more By Eric Sagonowsky Through its COVID-19 vaccine partnership with the U.S. government, Moderna picked up nearly $1 billion in research aid. Now, it's joining a long list of other companies to take a supply order from the federal government—locking up $1.5 billion in the process. read more By Ben Adams Editas Medicine’s shares fell by nearly 4% afterhours when Allergan’s new owner AbbVie decided to end a deal originally penned under its buyout with the gene-editing biotech. read more By Angus Liu While studying how pancreatic cancer adapts to a low-oxygen environment, scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute uncovered a protein that appeared to be driving tumor metastasis, opening up a potential new venue in developing drugs against the deadly disease. read more Enrollment Showcase | Presented by: Biotility Taught by experienced professionals, Biotility’s online short courses provide the knowledge and practical skills valued by the bioscience industry. Enhance your career through coursework in one of our certificate pathways, including Document Management, Operations Management, and Quality Management. Learn more. |
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Resources Sponsored by: Thermo Fisher Scientific How to select the right dosage form for your Phase I clinical supply. Sponsored by: Thermo Fisher Scientific Quality by Design (QbD) reduces risk within drug development, while bringing therapies to market quicker. Sponsored by: Evotec Two informative webcasts will present practical and methodological approaches to preclinical drug abuse liability assessment Sponsored by: Catalent Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are spending years developing drugs or promising new biologics, all with the hopes of saving or enhancing patients’ lives. It’s a “race to the finish” in some cases, and the quicker a company can get its product to patients, the better. Sponsored by: Acorn AI by Medidata, a Dassault Systèmes company Case Study: Oncology-focused pharmaceutical company strengthens product launch by identifying hundreds of high-value physicians with Acorn AI. Sponsored by: Cardinal Health 3PL Services Identifying opportunities to simplify channel strategies and business processes for biopharma companies, their customers and patients. Sponsored by: Paysign Download the whitepaper for a solution designed to connect manufacturers, pharmacists, and patients. In this special guide, you will learn not just about the law but about the portal platform designed to change the entire process for all. Sponsored by: Catalent In a BioPharma Dive industry survey, planning and forecasting were identified as top concerns for trial sponsors. In response to this need, the CSM team at Catalent has developed a methodology for identifying, evaluating, and proactively managing the inherent risks involved in clinical trial supply chain management. Sponsored by: LexisNexis Risk Solutions Pharma marketing ROI soars when powered by claims data insights. Sponsored by: Lonza Pharma & Biotech A novel spray-dried dispersion platform has been developed to faciliate high drug load applications Sponsored by: Catalent Regardless of the assigned FDA expedited approval designation and approach, the key action items should be: the assurance of a detail-oriented plan and the adaption of a “forward-thinking” approach that will assist in any future challenges and opportunities for growth of each project. Sponsored by: Catalent Get expert insights on strategies to implement flexible manufacturing and different technologies that are easily scalable and reproducible. Sponsored by: Catalent This whitepaper discusses the benefits of end-to-end solutions and share case studies on how flexible manufacturing strategies can accommodate the changing landscape of pharmaceutical products and help bring a drug to market. Sponsored by: Catalent Learn about a real-world example of how clinical supply management expertise was applied to overcome inventory challenges for a complex, global study. Sponsored by: Catalent Whether a study is simple or highly complex, forecasting and simulation reports serve as data driven communication tools to help minimize risks and keep the study on track. Learn more about forecasting solutions for informed decision making and supporting contingency planning for clinical study. Sponsored by: Catalent Learn how to drive excellence within the forecasting process and utilize forecasting throughout the clinical study to better plan clinical supply budgets and project timelines. Explore how to identify potential supply-related issues before they can negatively impact your study. | 